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What are the best TVs for wall-mounting? It’s not as straightforward a question as it might at first appear.
Almost all of today's new TVs have mounting holes on the back – which means it’s pretty easy to buy one of the best TV wall mounts to fit. As long as you’re confident with a spirit level and a drill, you can mount more or less any TV on the wall. Just because you can, though, it doesn’t automatically follow that you should.
A key factor to keep in mind is the depth of the TV's chassis. After all, some flatscreens are considerably flatter than others – and if your new TV is one of the less flat, it may jut out from your wall. Then there's the position of the screen. Typically, TV screens are made of either plastic or glass and can reflect light from sources around them. So, depending on where you mount your TV, you could end up dealing with distracting mirror-like reflections. Fortunately, some manufacturers are more conscientious about reducing screen glare than others.
The TechRadar team has vetted each of the TVs in the shortlist below. We use a mix of specialist equipment and our own real-world findings to document and compare each set's image quality, color accuracy, sound fidelity, and overall feature set. We've also included our insights into the design of each TV and how we think it'll fit into a typical living room.
Right now, we think that the Samsung QN900F is the best wall-mount TV overall, but we've also included LG, Philips, and Hisense models in our rankings.
The Samsung QN900F is a surprisingly versatile all-rounder – and that's despite 8K content still not being the norm. The glare-free screen handles reflections well in bright living rooms, whether you're watching during a sunny day or a lamplit evening, and the overall picture quality is stunning. We found the brightness and ultra-vibrant color absolutely dazzling in our tests, with games looking just as crisp as movies, shows, and live sports.
While the QN900F isn't the slimmest TV on our list, its chassis depth is a modest 39mm. There's plenty of connectivity to play with, too, and gamers will certainly appreciate the four HDMI 2.1 ports.
In terms of value, the QN900F commands a pretty hefty price that may stretch budgets - though we think the image quality and features justify the expense. Still, if you're looking for a cheaper pick, or need a mounted TV smaller than 65-inches, check out the Hisense A7200.
Read our Samsung QN900F review
How wall-hangable is the LG G1 Gallery Series OLED TV? Well, it doesn’t come supplied with any feet – which tells you a lot. But when you realise it’s actually less than 20mm deep, it’s almost compulsory to hang the G1 on the wall anyway – which is why, we suppose, LG decided to go with the name ‘Gallery Series’ in the first place.
When it’s hung up, the G1 basically becomes part of the wall. It’s a more reflective screen than some, though, so be careful about which bit of wall you put it on – because after that, all the news is good.
Pictures are bright, detailed, high-contrast, and describe motion really well. There’s a full suite of next-gen console compatibility on board, sound is on the right side of ‘passable’ (though low frequencies go astray somewhat), and the screen’s capabilities are so impressive that you’ll be quickly ignoring the well-designed exterior either way. All in all, it's a solid addition to any home-theater experience.
Read our LG G1 OLED review
What happens when designers get to make a start on a TV before the engineers? The Frame is what happens. Here’s a TV that’s meant to look good on the wall, even when it’s not switched on.
You get a huge choice of screen sizes, almost as wide a choice of differently coloured bezels that are simple to change, and a big selection of artwork, wallpapers and screensavers the TV can display while it’s not being, you know, a television. It’ll even display your own selection of photographs if you prefer.
Because the engineers didn’t get there first, The Frame is a good TV rather than a great one. Its images aren’t the brightest around, and its color balance isn’t the most natural you’ve ever seen. But it’s nevertheless good to watch, with plenty of detail in its images and nice, stable motion-handling. In Tizen it has one of the better operating systems. But, most of all, it’s the only screen here that genuinely looks good when it’s switched off.
Read our Samsung The Frame review
There are very few USPs (unique selling points) in the TV market – but Philips certainly has one, and it’s one that really lends itself to wall-hanging your TV. We’re talking, of course, about Ambilight.
The OLED 805 has a series of LEDs on its back panel, which beam light onto the wall – either recreating on-screen colors or emitting a set tonal backdrop. It sounds like a gimmick, but it works brilliantly – images appear larger than they are, the sensation of being immersed in the picture is greater, and eye strain is reduced. It’s an all-around win.
Elsewhere, the Philips veers between ‘good’ and ‘great’. At 58mm, it’s far from the slimmest screen here, though it’s not the worst out there either. Its picture quality (after you’ve set it up satisfactorily) is great, with contrasts, motion handling and detail levels all impressing. Having every HDR format on board should be standard, but isn’t elsewhere – so that’s another thing in Philips’ favor.
Read our Philips OLED 805 review
Somehow, Hisense manages to match parts of the performance of far more expensive options while only charging a fraction of the price. Keep this fact uppermost in your mind, and the A7200G makes a whole lot of sense.
These aren’t the brightest images you've ever seen, and on a screen that’s over 8cm deep, they’re coming from one of the chunkier chassis currently in manufacture. But balance this against the very stable, coherent and convincing 4K images it can deliver, the wide contrasts of which it’s capable despite the relatively low peak brightness, and then take the outstanding Roku smart TV interface into account too. And then check the price again, because there’s no more affordable way of putting a nice new TV up on your wall.
Read our Hisense A7200 review
- How to wall-mount TVs: a step-by-step guide
